President Trump says he’s open to X owner Elon Musk buying Tiktok
President Donald Trump said he was open to the idea of X-owner Elon Musk buying TikTok as well, as the app navigates attempts to ban it in the US.
The social media platform with links to the Chinese government, which boasts over 170m American users, briefly went dark on Sunday after the Supreme Court upheld a law over national security and data concerns.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, Tiktok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the decision said.
“But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding Tiktok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
However, following his inauguration on Monday, Trump paused the ban, allowing Tiktok to resume operations in the US.
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive,” the company publicly posted.
The president suggested during a press conference that Musk, the world’s richest man and head of the department of government efficiency (DOGE), could potentially buy TikTok.
He also floated Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison as another ownership contender.
“I would be if he [Musk] wanted to buy it, yes,” Trump said in when asked about it.
“I’d like Larry to buy it, too.”
Trump added, “What I’m thinking about saying to somebody is buy it and give half to the U.S… Half, and we’ll give you the permit. And they’ll have a great partner, the U.S.”
“So what I’m saying is, let the U.S. give the permit and the U.S. should get half. Sounds reasonable,” he added.
This comes after OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Oracle’s Larry Ellison, appeared with President Trump in the White House yesterday to unveil the Stargate Project, a $500bn AI plan.
Tiktok’s business has been valued at around $50bn (£40bn) in the US, and the brief outrage gave rival platforms an opportunity to lure TikTok’s user base.
Musk’s X platform unveiled a new feature designed to mimic Tiktok’s video-focused interface, including a circular play button at the bottom of its app that leads to a video-only feed.
The company posted on its own X platform on Sunday, saying: “An immersive new home for videos is rolling out to users in the US today.”
Yet, users in the comment quickly pointed at its lack of robust editing tools.
Meanwhile, TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, announced that it was working to reinstate the app’s access.